The Tale Of Nemesis: Rising
by Wisdom Muse
Summary: Original Character: Nemesis or Astrid Wulfenheim enters into the world of the Justice League Unlimited.   Story; When some mysterious new hero happens upon Batman's turf in Gotham, and attempts to go after the Joker, it drives him to find out more about this mysterious masked figure. The more he prods, the more they become involved with the Justice League.
1. 1: What The Hell Am I Doing?

The Tale of Nemesis: In the Beginning…

Part I: What The Hell Am I Doing?

It was a standard dark night in Gotham City. It was raining heavily, and it was storming with lighting all around. Though, I suppose not too dark, despite the rain and the night. It is a large city of course. It would be lit up still, now wouldn't it?

It was lit up, of course, due to the city never wanting to sleep. However, I'm sad to tell you, if you're looking for Batman here, you've got someone else completely different entirely. But, you'll run into familiar faces soon. Don't you worry yourself any, they will come.

My name, who am I, why am I spoiling Gotham and running around, trying to show up Batman? Well, before you accuse me of that or anything else of the sort, I'll let you know a few things. I do not care to outshine batman or take over his job, I know this is his turf, and I know I tread on it and I respect it. Who I am is a matter of importance, though. I am Astrid. That's all you need to know for now. What am I am doing, is seeking vengeance. It's traditional in my family.

Now, I suppose you've all heard of the Joker before? Even if you haven't, you should know he is one of the most psychotic villains, and he is not to be trifled with. However, he was the one that trifled with me first. So I'm going after him.

Am I crazy as hell? Yeah, you bet I am. But I don't care. I want revenge, and I want justice. I'll do it on my own if I want to, I just would rather avoid being found out by Batman. I didn't need him finding me, and I intended to disappear before he caught on that another citizen was targeting a villain of his.

No one needed to know what I was doing. I would rather do things myself.

That's how I operated. I was a self-sufficient person, and I preferred to keep it that way.

I'd used some resources to find out that the Joker and his hyena-girlfriend, Harley Quinn were going to rob a bank. What resources, you ask? Well, I'm a lawyer by day. I used my cards right since I work to put his goons and other criminals behind bars anyways, and I did some questioning of my own, and forced them to tell me something. My methods…were a bit harsh. A lawyer has her ways and access to criminals especially if she's a well-to-do lawyer with a large, powerful firm that she herself created, after graduating Harvard Law.

Enough about my background now, though. I'm not going to talk about how I got the information, that's not important right now. I may not have been completely legal about it, either. Fine, I did some wire tapping and stuff. I delve in that kind of thing. I've always been a smart kid, not trying to brag, but I have.

So I was dressed in a black hood, and I had a visor down from it that covered my eyes, except they glowed and inhuman blue from the black guise, and it left most of my face in shadows, especially since I had that covered. I'd made myself a strong, durable suit. It had no marking on it, except for an N.

But why, an N?

Well, I'm a fan of Greek Mythology, and Nemesis is one of the parts of Zeus that is a god of justice-style-revenge. So that's what I'll go under as an alias, if anyone catches me. I figure it has to work, but I don't plan on being caught.

I was creeping along the ledge of the bank, then I used a hidden blade that popped out from my gloves, that looked an awful lot like a claw, and I cut a clean circle out of the glass with it. I slipped in, and I crouched down, hoping like hell that I got the right information. If I didn't, there would be hell to pay for a couple of Joker's minions. I waited, and soon my waiting paid off.

"Come on, sweet-cakes. This is our chance, Batman hasn't even shown up yet, and our little distraction is sure to keep him busy for at least a bit. Are you ready to blow this safe wide open?" He said, smiling at her.

I looked over at her, my eyes glowing with an intense inhuman glow. I could see well in the dark, very well, even with a visor. That should tell you already that I'm not entirely the ordinary citizen I claim to be. But, we don't have time to explain right now. I would, but I am a little busy if you can't tell.

"Here's the charge!" She said gleefully, hooking it onto the safe mechanism and pressing the ignition button. The charge began counting down fast to zero, then backwards, then it completely zeroed out. Then, nothing happened…

I was utterly confused, till a huge burst of confetti appeared and the safe door was impacted with a solid THUD, blasting the lock clear through by otherwise deafened a bit by the noise of the confetti coming out.

Really mature and funny, you two. I'm practically rolling on the floor laughing. I can't live with people who are never serious….

"HAHA! WE DID IT SWEET'UMS! IT WORKED JUST LIKE YOU PLANNED!" Said Joker exclaiming loudly. I waited while he began to bag up the money as fast as he could.

"You grab what we need, honey, I'll keep watch. I think Batsy will like my wonderful new toy! I know I do!" She pulled out a giant, scary looking bazooka. It was ten times scarier because that crazy as hell bitch was wielding it. I didn't really care. I waited until they became slightly complacent, then…

I launched myself at Harley Quinn, athletically jumping in the air and unsheathing long, serrated, needle sharp claws from my wrists with hooked ends.

I was jumping down aiming to land on top of her, using height and impact, hoping to strike down upon her with my claws.

"YOU'RE NOT SAFE UNTIL I SEE YOU BOTH DEAD!" I yelled.

Harley Quinn was startled, not just because I had the element of surprise, but because she'd never seen someone like me before. She fired a shot, and it hit me in the gut, and kicked me back behind a desk, shooting me into the counter where the tellers usually worked.

"HAHA! Seems Halloween has come early, sweet'ums, some little girl dressed up as black-riding-hood has come to mess with us. We'll have to put her in her place." She said, reloading quickly.

I got back up, and my temper was building. There is a special switch in me, and sometimes it is not easy to turn on or off, or to stop it from going both ways. Right now, it was slowly starting to click on, but I was surprisingly fighting for it to stay off. I couldn't use it yet, not yet.

I made a low growly sound that sounded unearthly to their ears and I jumped on top of the teller's desk. You could tell I got shot with a rocket in my lower abdominal region on the right. But all there really was was a lot of shrapnel and plenty of blood and some nasty torn up wounds, but I didn't look shaken at all. If anything I was tenser, angrier, and pissed off even more now. My anger was no longer simmering lukewarm, it was boiling.

"I'm NOT SOMEONE you should dismiss so easily. I just hope you don't learn why quite yet." I said, jumping down from the teller's desk, which was about thirty feet from where Harley was, and it was another five feet or so to the vault that the Joker was now looking out of with utter shock. I charged at them, suddenly wielding a long, beautifully crafted titanium sword with black obsidian engravings and an obsidian-carbon-compound handle that was incredibly strong as well as heavy and durable. I charged at Harley Quinn, and I sliced at her across her shoulder blade, cutting right into the toy she had and damaging it too much to fire again, the spark ignited the current rocket she had and it exploded in both of our faces, creating smoke and a cover for her, and wounding us both.

"Sweet heart, she's no ordinary girl; ordinary little girls don't shrug off rocket launchers twice like that. Let's go while we can, before Batman shows up, too!"

Speak of the devil…Batman came in, having used his grappling hook and climbed up and entering right where I did, a bit miffed that someone had already cut an almost perfect circle out of the glass for his grappling hook to go through and catch onto the building's ceiling. I charged on through the smoke, not caring about the injuries I had, trying to go after Joker. However, I didn't expect him to try to slow me down with…

They were running up to the roof, which meant only one thing; they were escaping by air. I needed to stop them NOW so they didn't get away, because sadly, I can't fly. If only…

So, our cunning villain's first way to slow me down WAS….

A wet floor, provided by a...

Broken water fountain?

Original, really. He'd obviously had Harley use what was left of her "tube of fun", or rather, her rocket launcher, to bash it open. To create a hazardous diversion; which was absolutely wonderful when you're a superhero that's wearing HEELS for fuck's sake! It was gushing and it was practically smashed, and I slipped a bit through the water in my heels, then I managed to get through, but it had lost me some time. He'd also managed to break out some fire extinguishers and bar the door with them. I tried to kick through how they were arranged, but I only got the foam sprayed at me.

I had just about had it, I got on my hands supporting myself on the floor and I did a round house kick with both legs to the door, causing a mess but getting it open. When I got out there, he was escaping by helicopter. He laughed maniacally at me.

"See yah later, little riding-hood, I did enjoy watching you fall for all of that! Next time we meet, we won't be so easy on you!" he shouted, and then following it with his maniacal laughs. I yelled a threat after him while he was still in ear shot.

"I WILL RIP OUT YOUR GUTS AND SHOVE THEM DOWN YOUR THROAT, YOU CACKLING FOOL! THIS IS FAR FROM OVER!" I shouted back in a roaring angry yell.

All I got was the faint sound of them both laughing at the idea, and I could barely make out "why so serious, little girl?" as they got farther away.

Damn it. I blew my first try. I completely blew it.

Batman burst through the roof and swung a punch at me, hitting me as I tried my best to partially block it as my instincts kicked in. Yep, I have instincts. I'm sounding less and less human by the minute, aren't I?

"WHO ARE YOU! ARE YOU WORKING WITH THE JOKER?" He yelled, squaring off with me and trying to hit me again.

"Slow down, Batman. I'm not working with them. I hate the Joker; if you couldn't tell just now I JUST told him I'd take out all his organs and shove them back inside him through his mouth. You have no reason to fight me. I want him dead; I have a vendetta against him. Besides…" I said, suddenly dodging his strike and hitting him roughly with my gloved hand in the form of a claw, hitting some pressure points along his arm, "I need to go. I don't want to do anything to mess with your work. I have no quarrel with you. Besides, I really don't want to hit a handsome man like you. That's why I preferred pressure-pointing you." I said with a smirk, as he realized his non-dominant hand was temporarily immobilized.

"…If you're not against me, then I suppose you're with me. But you should know that I won't let you kill the Joker. It's also obvious you're no copy-cat or ordinary citizen exacting your own vengeance. You also aren't in too bad of shape, considering you were hit by two rocket launchers. No, you're not ordinary at all. Who ARE YOU?" He said, moving towards me as I walked backwards from him, my hidden-blade type claws coming out from my wrist and my gloves, literally adding claws to my stance. He couldn't help that notice that they were awfully familiar to how a dog would use its claws, and designed to work like that. Quite strange of me, but also brilliant.

"Do you really want a name?" I said, back flipping onto the ledge of the building, balancing with my muscles constantly flexing and my charismatic, athletic body portraying complete control over such a precarious position.

"Perhaps I could help you…"

"Then find me, first. You're Batman. I can't just make this easy for you." And then, I jumped, my long, white-platinum-blonde hair spilling from the hood a bit, as I got into a crouching position to land in. He shot a grappling hook onto the nearest street light and went after me, then saw the hair and threw a bat-a-rang at me, hoping to cut off some hair in case I escaped him, though it was a twenty-story-drop from this massive bank.

He swung out to try to grab me, but I simply plummeted straight, crouched and then I landed on the ground, and there were several loud cracks and a small cloud of dust where I landed on the asphalt. I made two medium-sized impact craters for my hands, and one large one for the rest of my body. The Bat-a-rang pinned my hair to the side of the building he was about to swing onto, right just within reach. I knew he was Batman for a reason. I smiled from under my mask.

"What do you call yourself, at least?" He said, looking down as I hopped onto a very fancy looking motorcycle built for speed and to hold a manner of things. He then noticed the sword on my back, too. I wasn't an ordinary resourced citizen either, apparently. Money can be a pretty nice boost to being a superhero, but I didn't just have that. I had something else. He couldn't quite figure me out.

"Nemesis." I said frankly, and then I kick started my bike before he could release himself down to try to catch me again, and the di-nitrogen-oxide rocket on the back of my bike expanded to have two smaller ones, and I zoomed off, making my escape.

I knew he had a way to identify me now. But I did not want my family involved, and I had a pretty good reason. We were more important than just all being pretty well off; we had a higher status and purpose than that. My family needed to be kept out of anything I did, especially since I was focused on doing this kind of crazy stuff. What the hell was I thinking, anyways? Well, with my legal capabilities, at least I could keep my family, what was left of it, and my extended family safe. That was what I wanted the most.

If the Batman wanted to find me, he would find me and me ONLY on my record. I wanted him to face me head on, and leave my family out of everything. Though, that was going to be a huge surprise when he found that information erased and barred from him by my own personal legal contingencies. A little "trolling" if you will from me, I suppose. A curveball, if anything.

Batman had scanned my hair into his DNA decoder, and he was searching for a match in his database, and then continuing his search until he found a name. The name finally popped up.

"Astrid Hanna Wülfenheim. Parents, deceased, Josef Wülfenheim, father, and Aurora Wülfenheim. Twenty-three-years-old, graduated from Harvard Law School. Five-foot-six, white-platinum-blonde-hair, eyes; blue." He read off the screen. There was a picture there, of me smiling at the camera with a slightly mischievous half-smile that looked a little more like a smirk.

"Siblings…." He said, trying to access that file.

"Access Denied." Said the machine.

"What?" He said, utterly confused. He then attempted to bi-pass it.

"No sibling matches for Aurora Wulfenheim."

"Only child. Interesting. Parent's death's…" he said, typing aloud.

Articles were pulled up of the massive chemical explosion and fire to Wulfenheim Bio-Chemical Research Corporation. He read the articles, and suddenly Batman had a pang of guilt for me. By the dates, they died shortly after I graduated, before I could get home to Gotham from Harvard Law. If anyone knew what that pain MUST have felt to me. He exactly, because he had experienced the same pain as a boy, and it began to soften him a bit to his frustration at me refusing to let him help me.

He checked for an address, but he ran into my legal contingencies about that, because I had gotten that protected in case the criminals I made sure to jail as a lawyer for the City of Gotham against its most notorious criminals, sending them to jail. He tried to get past it, but I'd done my job well. No such luck, Batman.

However, I did not account for a rogue element at play. Bruce knew just who to call. He got out his personal cell phone, and called a fellow Justice League member to help him out.

"Hello, Bruce. What's bothering you so late at night, huh?" Said Clark Kent, otherwise known as the one-and-only Superman, answering the phone at the other end of the line.

"I have a problem I want you to help me with." He said back simply, ignoring Clark's teasing.

"Really? Need me to suit up and head over right now!" He asked, sounding a bit alarmed.

"No, for this, I need Clark Kent. You're going to interview someone and get information from her."

"Her?" Clark said and his interests peaked a little. "Don't tell me you've found a girl and you want me to go ask her out for you, Bruce. I thought you could handle rejection yourself." Replied the sarcastic and teasing Kryptonian.

"No, Clark, I'm good, I can handle that part just fine. I need to find out information on her; she was out before I was, after the Joker. She beat me to it and she did a good job considering it was her first time. She was really professional about it, but not only that, she survived a rocket launcher attack to her gut, and an explosion in her face, and then jumped down off a ten-story building and landed crouched and didn't seem shaken, though she made three decently sized craters where she landed. She's not ordinary, and, with some help, maybe we can help guide her. She's set on killing Joker, her parents were massacred in the Wulfenheim Corporation explosion by Joker when he stole that compound that….." suddenly, Bruce became silent, respectful, and trailed off. It wasn't something he wanted to bring up with Clark. Because it affected him personally.

"...That Luthor used to kill Lois. It's okay; it doesn't hurt as much anymore now that I have come to accept that she's never coming back, Bruce. You can say it now. But thanks for the respectful attempt to leave it out. Avoiding it won't do anything anymore."

The response was still pained, and having been friends with Clark for a long time since they were both some of the founders of the Justice League, he knew him too well for him to be able to hide that. It was a sad day when Luthor finally hit Clark where it hurt most; killing the first woman he ever loved with an unstable compound stolen from Wulfenheim Corporation, a new compound being researched to isolate diseases, viruses, and then break them down in their stages of growth and mutation. However, if injected, it sped up the process quick in a body, and this veritable disease cocktail it contained had no cure, because it was being used to find a cure. The only good thing about it was that the diseases were not contagious, because the compound prevented them from being so, but injected, it still did it's work inside a body, all too well.

"Well, do still want to interview her for me, or is that too much to ask?" Said Bruce after the long pause, letting Clark gather his thoughts again and compose himself out of courtesy.

"Of course, I will, Bruce. What's her name? I bet I already know her last" He said, back to his humorous mood.

"Astrid, Astrid Wulfenheim."

"You mean that really attractive lawyer that shuts away the criminals you bag up there in Gotham? Huh. That doesn't sound too bad. From what I've seen, she's not too bad either…" Said Superman, thinking about the pictures he'd seen of her in the news. No, she wasn't bad at all. She was…attractive.

"There is one thing that I have a hunch on, though, see if you can't gather some information for me on it, you know, and hints."

"What's got your paranoia, Bruce?"

"Her name translates to 'Wolf Manor' or 'Wolf House, House of Wolves' loosely depending on how you skew the German. I just wonder if that has something to do with it. Her DNA is also a little abnormal, but nothing I can identify or that the machine can decode that matches anything. I don't want to jump to conclusions, but…"

"Hmm. Mr. Wayne thinks he may be dealing with a female werewolf then? That is quite a conclusion jump, you know. But, she does have abnormal abilities. You could be right. I'll see if her wolf obsession raises any flags, and, I'll make sure to get information to where you can trace her. Got any tracking devices or anything I'll receive to put on her?"

"I just need a phone number."

"A phone number?"

"Yes, the one on her business card will be fine. That should be enough personal information to find her house, if not search back to her own personal address because she is the one that heads and created the lawyer team and firm. Though, a personal one would make it easier."

"If I get that, I'm not sharing it." Said Clark with a laugh.

"Clark, is that a glimmer of attraction I hear in your joking? Because if it is, it could be good for you." Said Bruce back with a smug voice.

"Maybe it is. I'll see what flirting with her will do." He said sarcastically.

"Fine, then I challenge you to get her number. Let's see if it'll be that painful for you to do, that way you won't mope so much." He retorted back.

"Challenge accepted. Good night, Bruce. I'll get back to you tomorrow. Send me her file, won't you?"

"Why? Want a picture?"

"Yes, it's always nice to match a pretty face with a beautiful name."

"Good night, Clark. Keep it in your pants; we can't have you show all your cards." Was a sarcastic reply.

"Good night, Bruce. I'd tell you the same for Wonderwoman."

And then there was a click on the line.


	2. 2: Inquisition

The Tale of Nemesis: In the Beginning:

Part II: No One Suspects the Kryptonian Inquisition!

I hate mornings. I really hate mornings.

Want to know what makes me hate this morning even more?

I was out late last night trying to kill the Joker, and I stayed up even later after I failed that attempt pulling metal shrapnel from my body so I could fully heal and regenerate that part of me back. Heal and regenerate? Yeah, I can do that. Pretty sweet, right? WRONG! _You'd think that_, but having your body automatically do all your medical work for you is quite painful, especially since it works a bit too fast for an antiseptic to really do much in the way of help. I'd stick with going to the hospital if I were you. Speed does not solve everything.

Now that I had almost completely healed myself as I headed into work at my law firm, I was not enjoying the walk in heels as my side burned from the remnants of its restoration that were going on. It was certainly painful and though I did my best to hide it, I couldn't completely hide it from everyone.

Especially the secretary, a law intern that was hoping to eventually work at our firm after he finished college, though he was a sharp kid, he was a lot younger than me, and he was one to try to be a bit sarcastic or smart-aleck-y with me when he chose to. His name was Dexter Thomas, Dex for short; because I treated him like the age he acted.

Today was not the day for any of his antics. I came in with my coffee and my curls slightly in my face, and my pleated skirt, white shirt, and blazer slightly wrinkled from wiggling around in the seat of my jaguar trying to make the constant small throbs of pain muffled. Being all about appearances, this was highly unusual for me, and it was obvious my morning was going to be one of THOSE dreaded Mondays as soon as he looked up at me. Time to push my buttons? Dex thought so.

"Is it windy out, Ms. Wülfenheim?" he asked with a smirk on his face.

"Can it, Dex. What do I have on my schedule today, and maybe if you stop now, I won't throw my coffee at your face." I said with a slight hint of a temper in my tone.

"Do you remember that you're being interviewed by a correspondent from the Daily Planet about your most recent string of court dates putting away a notorious crime lord that is still going on and now out for a short recess? You did confirm it already, or did you click yes without looking again?" He said with a smirk.

Perfect. You have a mouth this morning, and I'm flustered. Just perfect, Dex. You're lucky I put up with you and have refused to fire you, if you weren't so good at what you do, that'd be another story.

"I remember, thanks, you sarcastic bugger." I said, sipping my coffee. "Ten thirty, right?"

"Nine thirty."

"Damn it. That soon?"

"Yes. So much for remembering."

"You sent me ten thirty, DEX!"

"Oh….so I did. Oops. You didn't see the correction email I sent?"

"I didn't have TIME TO CHECK THAT! Well, that means I'll just have to get some things done before then. Have him wait out here for a bit if he comes early, and then call me and I'll tell you if he can come in yet. Can your grad school-crammed brain remember all of that?" I said, glaring at him.

"Yes Ma'am, it can." He said, choosing just the last moment to retreat from his obnoxious games before I got any more frustrated with him. He was good at what he did, and he was LUCKY I put up with his attitude. "Sorry about that, I just thought you could use some teasing to get you to relax. I know you have a lot to do."

"That's what I hired you for." I said with a chuckle. "Next time, please double check your appointment times, okay, smart-mouth?"

"I will, I promise."

"I've heard that before." I said, walking into my office with a scoff.

"No, I mean it this time!"

"Whatever you say, Dex." I said as I began setting my things down in my office.

"Hey, maybe this reporter could finally be the man that breaks your stony heart, Ms. Wülfenheim."

"Dex…."  
>"Yes?"<br>"I'm warning you, go back to work."

"You really do give love a bad name." He mumbled, amused.

"DEX! Enough with the Bon Jovi lyrics!" I said, shutting my door as he continued to chortle to himself. "I don't want to hear a peep from you until that reporter either arrives on time or if he gets here early, that you tell me that my appointment is here and I will let him in at the appointed time."

I then sat down at the antique, ornate, heavy oak desk that had carved wolves paws for feet, and had the Wülfenheim insignia on the front in old gothic writing, and there were wolf's heads on the front and on each corner. The chairs, the one I sat in being the grander one, the one for the guest in the office being slightly less ornate, were also my fathers, and went with the deep-almost-black-stained mahogany finished desk, also made of oak. They were upholstered with a nice comfortable black cushion on the seat and the back. The one I sat in had a wolf sitting as the carved spindle in the middle of the very top, and then ornate carvings down it with the same clawed wolf paw design on the arms and the feet. It had our coat of arms just under the carved wolf spindle, and a crown encircled those. The other chair had a spindle wolf too and was a lot less ornate, but it had the wolf sitting on a design of olive branches and it was decorated with more nature than the wolf details on mine. It was one of the things that I brought here from his study, aside from the noble-looking black-marble wolf statue that sat behind me near the open corner office windows and was a focal point to the otherwise law-book-covered-walls, with black-painted shelves to match. Otherwise, the room was very white and gray, to not make it so dark, and it got plenty of light in. The whole place was incredibly organized, clean, and efficient. If it wasn't, someone would have hell to pay. I was an organizing control freak, most definitely.

I continued to get a lot of work done, when I got a call from Dex.

"Is he here?" I said, looking at my watch. Wow, he was a nice five minutes early. Sweet.

"Yes, he's here. Do you want him to wait?"

"No, I'll come out and get him. You did offer him some water, right?"

"Yes, he took some. He wants to know if it's okay to take in your office."

"Of course. I'll be right out."

What I did not expect was to come out and meet the man that was sitting there. He was quite handsome, and that's rare for me to say, because I have turned down a lot of men in my life. I have always been a loner by choice, and I usually have had no interest in dating ever since something horrible happened to a close friend of mine that practically grew up with me. He was killed, but how is a story for later. Right now there was a tall, handsome, strong looking man with black hair and the most interesting blue eyes I'd ever seen. He had glasses on, and it made him look rather sharp. I kept myself completely composed, and I kept a pleasant smile as a poker-face without even faltering. Inside though, I felt the tiniest bit of a weird sensation sprouting up in me. I didn't want to call it too soon, but Dex's teasing could possibly turn out to be somewhat true if this man didn't kill it when he spoke.

"Ms. Wülfenheim, I presume?" he said, standing up as soon as I entered the room like an olden-days gentleman and he offered his hand.

"Yes, I am. And you are?"

"Clark, Clark Kent."

Very James Bond of you, but I would let it slide this time.

"So, is Mr. Kent alright with you?"

"Certainly. But if either of us accidentally forget the formalities for a moment, it's no trouble, right?" he said with a warm smile. Hmmm. Now, that was quite charming. I couldn't help but let my mouth twitch into a grin for a second, and a small chuckle came out.

"Of course. There is that. Please, step into my office, sit down and make yourself comfortable, please." I said.

His first action was to hold the door open from me, and I was a little taken aback at the speed and strength he did to gently pull it from my grasp.

"Ladies first, I'll hold the door for you, Miss."

He was really being way too charming at the moment. I couldn't help but let a small flash of a smile out again, and then I sat down in my chair before he could pull it out for me or something, because that would just be absurd. He noticed I beat him to that punch, and he sat down in his own chair after closing the door.

I think he was a bit taken aback by the details in my room and the chair and took a quick moment to take them in, but then again, most people did. However, he immediately focused his attention back to the task at hand.

He began asking me questions, he covered the subject matter very well, and I was very impressed that he'd done his research perfectly on what he was interviewing on. He was obviously a smart guy. However, he didn't always seem to stay on topic after he got the majority of the information he needed.

"So, how long have you lived in Gotham? I can't say I want to bring back any bad memories for you, but, doesn't your family have a history of being here for a bit?" He asked, using his charming face to ease it towards me while successfully avoiding any painful memories for me. I really tried hard to resist his charm, I really did. But for once, this independent and stubborn girl was tripping over his charm, and it wasn't looking good. That didn't mean he wasn't going to just flirt and get information from me without a fight, though.

"I grew up here. I went to Gotham Academy, and my parents were born here, too, they were third generation immigrants to this place, from Germany if you can't tell by my name. Why do you ask?" I said, placing my chin in my hand and looking at him with a small smirk. "Hoping I was a new girl in town who needed to be shown around?"

"Maybe." He said, chuckling. "Though I knew otherwise, of course, a reporter doesn't come in that badly prepared if he's good at his job."

"So I noticed. I found that very impressive." I said, my smirk getting wider. "So, do you need anything else about me, because frankly, you'd better ask now. That doesn't mean I will answer them all, of course, but I'll let you try."

I could see the reaction I got instantly with that, and I knew I caught him in the act hook-line-and-sinker. He was not caught off guard, if anything, he was happy that I caught him.

"No, I was just hoping to have some contact information in case I did think of more questions or needed anything clarified, do you have a business card?" He said, sitting back in the chair almost triumphantly. Because by pointing him out, I also allowed him to catch me to paying attention, which meant I had been reacting back, and now he had confirmation that I had been flirting back. Damn it all, he was smart, but I enjoyed it. I hadn't experienced something like that before. Sure, many men had lobbed pick-up lines at me, and I had completely turned them down immediately, but here I was, actually flirting back. That sly dog! Oh well, I didn't mind it, oddly enough. I was frankly…okay with it, which was unusual and unnatural for me, to say the least about the matter and how it played out.

"Sure thing, just wait one second…" I said, firing the ultimate shot back at him as I wrote something on the back of it with my black and silver fountain pen, then handed it over to him.

"What's this number for?"

"It's my personal cell. You know, just in case you want to reach me outside of the office."

"…Really?"

"Really, really." I said, my grin turning into a full blown smirk at him as I stood up to shake his hand, he was standing there, a bit shocked.

"Hmmm. I may have to take you up on that." He said, and I could sense what he was thinking in his head 'SCORE!', was definitely it.

I shook hands with him and opened the door and formally said good bye to him, then left it open as I kept filing my paperwork for the case I was currently working on.

"….That guy came out of here way too happy to have just been there for an interview, Ms. Wülfenheim. Did my prediction come true?"

"Shut up and get back to work, Dex."

"Knew it. I need to go into being a psychic, screw law school."

"…Dex, don't quit your day job or your degree, your parents spent a ton of money for you to go to law school."

"You're right, Ms. Wülfenheim, but I still get to say I told you so."

"Fine, you did, and now go take a break."

"I like you a lot better when you're in love."

"Go before I change my mind."

"Going, going, gone!" He said, leaving the office to go spend his break time.

Little did I know, that sly dog just punked me, even if he meant all that flirting, he also used it to his advantage. I didn't know the forces at work, and things were about to change in my life more drastically than I'd ever intended them to.

Bruce Wayne's cell phone rang. He looked down at it, and immediately picked it up. It was Clark, of course.

"Back victorious from your happy hunting?" Asked Bruce as his own way of saying 'hello, get what I need and flirt with her while you're at it?' to Clark.

Clark audibly cleared his throat from the other line and there was a muffled sound, probably him tugging at his tie. Exactly the kind of reaction Bruce wanted to get. He smirked on the other end.

"Sure…we'll put it that way. Thank you, Bruce, for putting it like that. I got the essential piece of information you wanted; a phone number. But not just any phone number, and I am very not sure I want to share with you." He said back as a retort.

"Don't tell me, you scored her personal cell, didn't you? Congratulations, you're officially back in the game, Clark. Now don't go asking her on a date any time soon, not until I see if she won't first let me find out what she really is, then have her join the Justice League and also have some time to get over what you just did to her." Batman was slightly impressed, and rather proud of Clark. This was the happiest he'd seen him since Lois's death, and that was definitely a good thing for the Man of Steel.

"What do you mean, Bruce? I don't exactly understand that last part….stop being vague."

"Well, you did just flirt with her, but also use it to get information out of her. She may not like that. Remember, she doesn't even know our alter-egos yet, much less that she just gave you something that helps me find her. Her attitude when I first met her came off as that she didn't want anyone to help her or to find out about her. I'm also pretty sure she's pretty much removed any family she has out of the picture for their own safety, so you've defiled that a little. Don't worry, Champ, I'm sure she'll forgive you easily if you take her out on a date afterwards. Heck. You can even take her to the Justice Tower, I'm sure she'll appreciate someone she's already becoming attached to taking her there." He said, chuckling. It seemed Clark didn't calculate any of that in his head. This was half good, half bad. Good because that meant he was focused on her and the fact that he fell in love with someone again, bad because…well, if she wasn't pissed off for a little bit, Bruce would be very surprised.

"Right…that all makes sense now that you told me about her reaction to help. Though, what else can she do when you personally invite her? I'm sure she'll be excited, no matter if she shows it or not. It's not something anyone gets invited into, once we find out what kind of powers she has, it could really benefit us, and we could most certainly benefit her."

Bruce chuckled, sometimes Clark could be a tiny bit dense, but he hadn't been around someone he was attracted to in a while, so it was understandable. That didn't mean that Bruce wasn't going to tease the hell out of him for it. Nope, he was going to mess with Clark for liking me. That's it, Bruce, don't be shy. He needed to be teased thoroughly. I very much approve of your actions myself. "Yes, and she'll definitely benefit you, after how you're acting about how it went. Glad you've found yourself a woman, Clark. I'm happy for you. Just don't tell Wally, because once Wally knows, EVERYONE will know. He can't keep his mouth shut." He kept chuckling.

Clark gritted his teeth a bit then relaxed and scoffed a bit at the end of the line. "Right, as if I'd tell West about it when essentially nothing but interest was shown. Also, I'm glad you're so happy for me that you're willing to give me a hard time. Just like old times, huh? Though, it's good to be back to feeling like my normal self again." For once, Clark joined in with the laughing.

Bruce's work was completely done here. "Alright, send me that number. Clark...I mean it, I hope it goes well for you. It's good to hear you laugh again, you know…"

"I know, it's a nice feeling for me, too. Now if you excuse me, I have an article to write."

"And I have your girl to go surprise with an invitation to join the Justice League."

"Right, so she's going to be called 'my girl' now?"

"Yes." Was Bruce's only response. "I'm going to trace her address and get in the easiest way possible, see if I can't get her to talk and explain her powers, then I'll probably invite her in. I'll let you know what she says, and if she says yes, well, you've got yourself a date to show the tower to and send either into the AI or perhaps watch her fight. NOW THAT, would be interesting to watch, don't you think?"

"Right, Bruce. I think I get the point. Good night, I'm sending you the phone number." He said with a sarcastic sigh.

With that, they both hung up.

Boy, the next night, I was in for the surprise of my life. My family secret would be revealed, and Batman was about to come face to face with a paranoid werewolf by trespassing onto her property.

Oh yeah, did I mention that's what my family secret is? I'm a werewolf; I come from a long line of werewolves. If there were the alphas of all the werewolves, that would be my family. We are, in fact royalty.

So, now Batman was officially in for dealing with a ROYALLY paranoid werewolf, and that werewolf is me.


	3. 3: Get Off My Lawn

The Tale of Nemesis: In the Beginning.

Part III: The Justice League Home Invasion.

"So, remind me why we're at this giant castle-looking house again, Bats?" Asked Wally, looking up in sheer and utter awe at my family mansion and it's towering, imposing wrought iron gates and tall fencing with the family crest and insignia on it and the tall stone-masonry towers that held each of the gates up and had the hinges securely set in them, with a monitoring system set up all around the entire property and all of its grounds. It was practically an estate, and I appeared to be the duchess of it. The gothic architecture of the house and it's wolf-gargoyles and wonderful masonry and artwork, from the stained-glass windows down to the vicious wolf's head that was the lock of the gigantic gate, it was certainly a secure place, if not dark and imposing. Welcome to my house, I hope you don't shit masonry, I know it's pretty hardcore and all, but I already fertilize my lawn, thanks.

"To first and foremost find out how in the world this woman can make impact craters while jumping off and landing in the street from a ten-story building and be okay to ride off on a bike with a rocket engine and also shrug off not one but two rockets from a rocket launcher and still be able to keep coming at someone just fine, that's why. There also is inviting her to the Justice League, but that's beside the point. She needs our help regardless, and I'm not about to let her go off and possibly get herself killed just because she has an untamed vendetta against the Joker with talents like those. That's why, West." Replied Batman nonchalantly.

"Oh. Damn, that is a lot of questions to be answered. But how the heck are we gonna get past this gate quietly? Blowing it up is out of the question, right?"

"Most definitely. There is a box built into the left tower that probably stores the systems for the mechanism, if I wire it right, I should be able to get it open."

"You can't just call ahead, can yah, Bats?"

"That's very impractical for this situation, West. She doesn't want any help. Not only that, she doesn't know I've found out who she is quite yet. Though I never approve of resorting to criminal methods unnecessarily, in this case, it is necessary. Besides, I'm sure she can get it fixed." Batman shot his grappling hook around the large lantern-like light that was at the top of the tower he mentioned for the gate and pulled himself up, then broke open the lock on the box and began rewiring it carefully. The noise brought them some unwanted attention, however. From a few friends of mine that just so happened to be very obedient and loyal guard dogs in exchange for the fact they got to live on my land and received food and care. This of course, was what every Gothamite had; a large pack of real life wolves that I communicated with via my 'pack telepathy' link I had, which also extended to them. Funny, I don't think either of those two planned for that.

"Ummm….Bats... " The Flash said, looking alarmed suddenly by my friends that were gathering to greet them by the gate. "We've got company, and I'm not sure what to do about it."

"What kind of company, Wally? I'm busy." He said, concentrating on the task at hand.

"The whole entire gate is now lined with an ever-growing number of real-wild-wolves, that's what. They don't seem aggressive now, but I am not sure how long they'll stay this way. I think your werewolf theory is steadily gaining ground here, you know. Nice doggies…NICE doggies." Said Flash, scooting away a bit and moving around nervously as the wolves all watched him intently and silently, barely moving and simply observing just like I'd taught them to. Their eyes glowed in the darkness, just like mine.

"Well, if they're not aggressive now, hopefully they won't be when the gate opens up…right around…now. Plus, you can out run them, Flash." Said Batman, shutting the box quietly as the gate swung open. The wolves backed up and watched them a bit more, then they scattered as Batman dropped down on the other side of the gate. I wasn't letting them attack them, no, I wasn't that mean. I was pissed at them for invading my turf, as any werewolf would be at one-o-fucking-clock-in-the-morning, but I was going to see what they wanted. Wally zipped in and immediately went to the back of the house, but in his haste, he was stopped by what he saw next as Batman caught up with him.

"…..NOW THAT…" Said Flash in a barely contained excited whisper. "…IS A POOL! That's a niceee pool, a really nice pool. Man, I wish I had something like that. It's got everything you'd practically want, and it's all modern looking, nothing like the house. It looks like a resort out here. I could just jump in if we weren't sneaking around." He was running around it, inspecting everything.

"FLASH!" Batman said in a tight whisper. "We're supposed to be on a reconnaissance mission here, NOT enjoying her pool."

Suddenly, a looming form's shadow crept up on them; me, the big, bad, giant, and incredibly commanding presence that was certainly the white elephant in the room. Why white? Because I was a snowy white werewolf, that's why. I gritted my teeth at them as they turned around, completely caught off guard. I'd snuck up on them, for sure, and they didn't even notice it very well. I growled at them irritably and simply stood at least three meters away from them, in the light of the waning moon that was only partially gone tonight. My blue glowing eyes added to the surreal and supernatural look of my form. I let out a bone-chillingly-loud and gruff howl to make them turn around. They were thoroughly spooked, and when they saw me in this form, it was doubly so.

"GET OFF MY DAMN LAWN, YOU WHIPPERSNAPPERS!" I roared out half-heartedly.

Wally burst out laughing and practically fell over, completely floored by my sarcastic response to their unanticipated visit to the grounds me and my family had called ever since we had left from Germany and immigrated generations back.

"…Hello again to you too, Astrid. So that's how you did all that the last time I saw you. I had a hunch." Batman said, still unfazed by my attempts to say 'get the hell out' quite yet.

"Well congratulations, you've found me out. Are you going to critique the horrible job I did at hindering you from catching the Joker, or perhaps critique how stupid it was for me to go out there and then fail?" I was very grumpy right now. I wanted my damn beauty rest. Was that too much to ask the Batman?

"Well, first I would like to say, you actually did very good all things considered. Second, I will catch the Joker eventually, that's not my concern right now. What I am concerned about is you, you need some good direction and some help. You should know that killing people never solves problems; it only creates new ones, as you can see by how it has already affected you. Instead, we can help you deliver the right thing; justice. So, how does an invitation to join the Justice League sound?" He said, pausing afterwards to give me some time to think.

I sat back on my haunches and thought for a bit, sitting just like a dog would. I cracked my neck soundly and then continued to think, but the chilling sound spooked the Flash.

"Fine. It sounds like a fair deal, plus it's not every day you get to try out for something like that. I accept. I suppose someone's going to take me and send me off on my test or something?" I stared at them, still sitting like a dog. By this time, my wolves had grown more comfortable around the new strangers and began edging closer to them while still remaining completely behind me. They were cute when they were curious.

"Good, I'll have Superman meet you at an appointed place and time."

"Hmmm. I'm meeting all these famous superheroes, it's quite exciting." After I said that, I yawned and then looked at the Flash with uneasy eyes as he zoomed over and stood there as if he wanted something.

"What do you need, Crimson Blur?" I said to him, giving him a blank stare.

"So…..what should I call you by?"

"Just call me Astrid, my alias is Nemesis, but my real name is fine for right now. I'm not officially a superhero yet anyways."

"Okay, Astrid…well, I have a question."

"Spit it out, Mr. Fast-talk."

"What happens if I scratch your ears, you know, like you would a regular dog?" He said with sheer enthusiasm.

"I would really appreciate if you didn't try to do tha-"

Too late, he was scratching them. I slumped down and lay down completely on my side and relaxed. Well, sorry, I am basically a human in a wolf's skin with every single rational human capacity, but I also have a dog part of myself, instinct, and a beast-like drive! I can't help it that the same damn thing works on me, too!  
>"Can I rub your belly, too?" Said Flash, practically giddy with excitement that he was practically petting a life-size dog.<p>

"Please don't-"

"RUB THE BELLY!" He said, not listening in the slightest.

"Hey, HEY, HEY FAST GUY, STOP!" I said, growling in a threatening way.

"Okay, okay…one last thing, though…"

"WHAT?" I snapped.

"…Can I pet you?"

I inhaled then exhaled deeply, and then let out a half-snarl-half sigh.

"Fine. Just don't go overboard. You're so fast…"

He began petting me, and then caught me by complete surprise when he hugged as much of my frame as he could.

"IT'S SO FLUFFY!" He yelled. "Okay, I've got that out of my system now. Sorry, I really, really, really needed to get that out." He said, smirking benevolently.

"RIGHT THEN….I think I may learn to like you, Crimson Speedster." I said, smiling at him and then standing on my hind feet, my body and the muscles shifting to accommodate that. I loomed over the both of them like that. "Anything else you want to do here? You might as well stay for breakfast while you're at it; I have a big case today, so hopefully I can run on less sleep than normal."

"Sorry for the inconvenience. Nothing else for now, when there is, I will let you know."

"By the way, Master Snoop in Black, how the hell did you find me…?"

"Well, the reporter you talked to wasn't just any reporter. But, you'll have to figure that out." He said, turning to leave. "I'm happy you're joining us."

"WAIT…..without the glasses….he…he looks just like…"

"Wait for it…" Said Wally with a grin.

"Superman…." I said in a stunned, quiet voice.

"Yes. Sorry about that, but I use the resources I have as best as I can."

"That damn tricky sneaky sly dog."

"He really does like you, though!" Piped up Wally.

"Does he, now? Hmmm. Well, while I don't like being had, under the circumstances that it happened, I suppose I am okay with it. He doesn't have to know that yet, though. I think I'll give that guy a taste of his own medicine. Good night. I will wait to hear from you." I said, seething with anger inside myself, but it'd quickly die out. They were all tricky little sly dogs, the lot of them. Still, I had to admit, they got me good. The fact that it was genuine made it a little bit easier to take, but boy, was that 'reporter' in for it when I met him again. If he wanted to play games, we'd play games.

"Thanks for the broken gate, by the way." I yelled after Batman. "Now I can know that my gate was hacked by my own personal favorite superhero. Don't worry, I won't make it a selling point or anything, I don't intend to leave this place to anyone but family."

There was a chuckle from Batman as he finally left and disappeared into the darkness that was his ally.

Boy, what a night. This was all crazy and still very surreal.

Not only that, but the morning was going to be one hell of a morning, too. It was time to catch what little sleep I could.


	4. 4: I'll Make a Hero Out of You

The Tale Of Nemesis: In The Beginning.

Part V: The Wickedness of the Cat.

It was just another night at work, and I was still in my office working. I figured I didn't have anything I needed to be doing, so despite the fact that it was almost four-thirty when I usually left to go home, I was powering through some legal work I had leftover to do. This case was difficult and you could tell that because my desk was unusually messy. I also was completely silent and I had an imposing stare down at my work as if it owed me money. I was completely zoned out, that I was ignoring the fact my office phone was ringing the entire time. Finally, Dex gave up and decided that his normal policy of leaving me alone after he had learned the hard way when he'd bothered me for absolutely no useful reason when I was this focused by me chewing him out. Thank goodness he was a determined intern, because he didn't get scared off one bit by that, and I do admit, I did apologize and make it up to him with a nice little bonus. That always helped smooth things over with him. He opened the door and peeked his head in.

I was immediately startled out of my work and I gasped a bit, but then quickly stifled it into a more silent one. I looked at my desk and back at him and I simply sighed and began rubbing my temples.

"Sorry Dex, it's just been…this is a hard case. What is it?" I said politely. He looked at me funny as if he was not expecting me to act this way, and I shrugged at him.

"Listen, that reporter that interviewed you a week or two earlier? He's back. He says he has an appointment with you, and he'd like to speak to you in your office in private about it. I didn't see him on the schedule but he was thoroughly convinced that he was told he was always welcome to drop by for a few questions." He admitted earnestly, knowing my policies and how I worked very well. Normally, I wouldn't allow for such things, though Dex was handling everything like a true professional. However, normally I didn't have a guy who knew I was interested in him and he in I chasing me down, especially not a Kryptonian and superhero kind of man. I had a guess as to what he wanted, but I kept my poker face and decided to see if he would prove me right.

"Send him in, he's correct in thinking he can BARGE INTO MY OFFICE ANYTIME without AN INVITATION to ask me a 'question' any time he wants." I yelled loud enough for Clark to hear outside and catch every single scrap of gouging sarcasm and biting teasing. "Send him in."

"Whatever you say, just don't make me have to separate you two." Joked Dex.

"Dex, how about you go home early and go get in your car and leave your work for tomorrow?" I cautioned him, knowing all too well he was catching on too fast for his own good.

"Alright, but if you two are still in here when I come back in the morning I swear I'm quitting." He teased, raising his eyebrows at me. "You know what I mean."

"…..Dex. Get the hell out of my office and go the fuck home." I growled.

"Fine, fine. Maybe a man will soften you up."

"GET THE FUCK OUT!"

He knew when he pushed me too far, and he left the door open for Clark and began packing for home and shutting down his stuff. Clark gave him an intimidating stare and then straightened his coat jacket before he came in and then popped his knuckles, and damn did that get Dex scared. He got out of there as fast as he could, not wanting to start a fight in the least.

"He's interesting, isn't he?" I said as I sat there as Clark walked in.

"He's too smart for his own good." He mused. "That'll get him into trouble some day if it already hasn't in his life. Good thing he's going into law, eh?"

"A very good thing indeed, so he can learn to talk himself out of anything, like all law students do."

"I have a proposition that I hope you don't want to talk yourself out of." He offered.

"Oh? Well, spill. Then we'll see whether I'll debate your request, Mr. Kent." I said, gesturing to a chair. "Sit down."

He sat down and scooted the chair very close to my desk. The game was on, now, and we were both just starting. Yes, we were both flirting, but I was a competitive girl, damn it, and I was going to win. I win at everything. Or if I don't, I usually challenge someone again.

"I would like to sugguest…..and by that, I mean ask you on a date to go dancing and then have dinner with me. We'd get all dressed up and have a fine evening and spend time together, in fact, I may have already gotten reservations for both, so if you refuse, you'll leave me to do so alone." He argued, and damn, did he have a good point. He had me cornered. That and he was already cocky enough to assume I'd say yes. I was floored.

I laughed at him and fell back in my chair, and then I gathered myself as he relentlessly grinned at me like the smart-alec he was. "Oh, very well played, Mr. Kent. My goodness, that's a bold move if I ever saw one. I DO like your style. I will have to say yes, because, there is something you didn't plan for that had you known about it, you wouldn't ever have to worry about going dancing by yourself."

"May I inquire what that is?" He asked.

"I love dancing. I am very good at it, if I may have such a high opinion of myself. I love to dance, I did lots of dance in my childhood and my father taught me how to dance all of the traditional dances, and I can do swing dancing too. I am light on my feet, therefore I never turn down a dance. However, who asks it also changes that entirely. If anyone but you had asked me, I probably would have refused. You are the only man that I have ever said yes to, besides one."

"Who is he?" He inquired.

"I don't like to talk about him much. He was a childhood friend, and he asked me to all the school dances. I just….would rather not talk about him."

"…..Why?" He implored.

"If you really must know, he died…only four days before my parents did. He was murdered." I answered with a depressed tone.

"Oh…I'm sorry I prodded, I just…"

"I can't blame you, you want to know and you are already a possessive little devil, aren't you?" I said, smirking up at him. "You don't want any competition, and even if there was, I'm sure you'd scare them off plenty." I was trying to distract him away from the subject or feeling bad, which he had some right to be, digging into my personal life like that, but, I also loved pegging him down for being possessive already. Normally that would not be a good sign, but it thoroughly amused me, and he already knew I could handle myself around him plenty. I'd already kicked his ass, I had no reason to fear him, did I?


	5. 5: Wicked Cat, Someone Comes Back

The Tale of Nemesis: In the Beginning.

Part V: The Wickedness of the Cat, And Someone Comes Back.

It was just another night at work, and I was still in my office working. I figured I didn't have anything I needed to be doing, so despite the fact that it was almost four-thirty when I usually left to go home, I was powering through some legal work I had leftover to do. This case was difficult and you could tell that because my desk was unusually messy. I also was completely silent and I had an imposing stare down at my work as if it owed me money. I was completely zoned out, that I was ignoring the fact my office phone was ringing the entire time. Finally, Dex gave up and decided that his normal policy of leaving me alone after he had learned the hard way when he'd bothered me for absolutely no useful reason when I was this focused by me chewing him out. Thank goodness he was a determined intern, because he didn't get scared off one bit by that, and I do admit, I did apologize and make it up to him with a nice little bonus. That always helped smooth things over with him. He opened the door and poked his head in.

I was immediately startled out of my work and I gasped a bit, but then quickly stifled it into a more silent one. I looked at my desk and back at him and I simply sighed and began rubbing my temples.

"Sorry Dex, it's just been…this is a hard case. What is it?" I said politely. He looked at me funny as if he was not expecting me to act this way, and I shrugged at him.

"Listen, that reporter that interviewed you a week or two earlier? He's back. He says he has an appointment with you, and he'd like to speak to you in your office in private about it. I didn't see him on the schedule but he was thoroughly convinced that he was told he was always welcome to drop by for a few questions." He admitted earnestly, knowing my policies and how I worked very well. Normally, I wouldn't allow for such things, though Dex was handling everything like a true professional. However, normally I didn't have a guy who knew I was interested in him and he in I chasing me down, especially not a Kryptonian and superhero kind of man. I had a guess as to what he wanted, but I kept my poker face and decided to see if he would prove me right.

"Send him in; he's correct in thinking he can totally BARGE INTO MY OFFICE ANYTIME without AN INVITATION to ask me a 'question' any time he wants." I yelled loud enough for Clark to hear outside and catch every single scrap of gouging sarcasm and biting teasing. "Send him in."

"Whatever you say, just don't make me have to separate you two." Joked Dex.

"Dex, how about you go home early and go get in your car and leave your work for tomorrow?" I cautioned him, knowing all too well he was catching on too fast for his own good.

"Alright, but if you two are still in here when I come back in the morning I swear I'm quitting." He teased, raising his eyebrows at me. "You know what I mean."

"…..Dex. Get the hell out of my office and go the fuck home." I growled.

"Fine, fine. Maybe a man will soften you up."

"GET THE FUCK OUT!"

He knew when he pushed me too far, and he left the door open for Clark and began packing for home and shutting down his stuff. Clark gave him an intimidating stare and then straightened his coat jacket before he came in and then popped his knuckles, and damn did that get Dex scared. He got out of there as fast as he could, not wanting to start a fight in the least.

"He's interesting, isn't he?" I said as I sat there as Clark walked in.

"He's too smart for his own good." He mused. "That'll get him into trouble some day if it already hasn't in his life. Good thing he's going into law, eh?"

"A very good thing indeed, so he can learn to talk himself out of anything, like all law students do."

"I have a proposition that I hope you don't want to talk yourself out of." He offered.

"Oh? Well, spill. Then we'll see whether I'll debate your request, Mr. Kent." I said, gesturing to a chair. "Sit down."

He sat down and scooted the chair very close to my desk. The game was on, now, and we were both just starting. Yes, we were both flirting, but I was a competitive girl, damn it, and I was going to win. I win at everything. Or if I don't, I usually challenge someone again.

"I would like to suggest…..and by that, I mean ask you on a date to go dancing and then have dinner with me. We'd get all dressed up and have a fine evening and spend time together, in fact, I may have already gotten reservations for both, so if you refuse, you'll leave me to do so alone." He argued, and damn, did he have a good point. He had me cornered. That and he was already cocky enough to assume I'd say yes. I was floored.

I laughed at him and fell back in my chair, and then I gathered myself as he relentlessly grinned at me like the smart-alec he was. "Oh, very well played, Mr. Kent. My goodness, that's a bold move if I ever saw one. I DO like your style. I will have to say yes, because, there is something you didn't plan for that had you known about it, you wouldn't ever have to worry about going dancing by yourself."

"May I inquire what that is?" He asked.

"I love dancing. I am very good at it, if I may have such a high opinion of myself. I love to dance, I did lots of dance in my childhood and my father taught me how to dance all of the traditional dances, and I can do swing dancing too. I am light on my feet, therefore I never turn down a dance. However, who asks it also changes that entirely. If anyone but you had asked me, I probably would have refused. You are the only man that I have ever said yes to, besides one."

"Who is he?" He inquired.

"I don't like to talk about him much. He was a childhood friend, and he asked me to all the school dances. I just….would rather not talk about him."

"…..Why?" He implored.

"If you really must know, he died…only four days before my parents did. He was murdered." I answered with a depressed tone.

"Oh…I'm sorry I prodded, I just…"

"I can't blame you, you want to know and you are already a possessive little devil, aren't you?" I said, smirking up at him. "You don't want any competition, and even if there was, I'm sure you'd scare them off plenty." I was trying to distract him away from the subject or feeling bad, which he had some right to be, digging into my personal life like that, but, I also loved pegging him down for being possessive already. Normally that would not be a good sign, but it thoroughly amused me, and he already knew I could handle myself around him plenty. I'd already kicked his ass, I had no reason to fear him, did I?

"Well, you certainly pinned me down very well." He admitted, frowning a bit. "Is it such a bad thing, though?" He inquired.

"No, under the circumstances you've been through and what you've seen, it's certainly understandable. Don't feel bad, I appreciate it. However, the story of that friend is for another time. I have not yet come to terms with how I lost him quite yet, and you can bet I'm still searching for the man that killed him." I said solemnly, then I got up and began cleaning up my desk and then I stood up. "I suppose you can follow me home and wait for me to change in my house. I've definitely got something that will match your suit and tie, most likely. How did you know my favorite color was blue?" I gestured to his tie that was a beautiful royal blue, it definitely complimented his eyes.

"I pay attention." He acknowledged simply.

I walked around and gathered up my things into my leather messenger's satchel and I waited for him to follow me and get out of his chair, and he immediately got up and followed me towards the door, ready to open it for me. But first, I had a question for him; "I suppose you can follow me home. Did you bring a car…or…" I said, in a low voice "are you going to fly after me?"

"Actually, I didn't take a car over here; I just may have cheated and flown over here. However, I was hoping I could catch a ride with you. I have to keep my identities separate, you know. As should you, you know." He said, walking by me and opening the door for me instead.

"Sure, you can get a ride from me to my house. You can even drive if you want." I said, tossing him the keys.

"You drive a Ford Mustang? Why am I not surprised." He mused.

"I love fast cars. I like speed. But I don't look like I have a lead foot at all, do I?" I assured him, giving him a completely innocent look.

"I'm just surprised you can drive that in heels."

"You will find I can do a lot of things in heels, more than the average woman." I retorted.

"Then shall we head on home so you can change and go dancing with me?"

"Onwards!" I said, gesturing dramatically as I took the arm he offered and lead him towards the parking garage.

Every man likes to gripe about how long women take to get ready. They say that it takes us hours, and for some of us, it does. However, I was not one for social norms myself. I made sure to get done as fast as possible, while still looking decent. It didn't hurt that I had good looks in my DNA, but I was never one for a lot of makeup and adding improvement over natural beauty anyways. I came down the stairs, in a short dress that did come just past my knees and it had a beautiful strapless top to it, a royal blue and it fit my body well. I was also wearing a special necklace, that had an aged silver chain and a beautifully cut sapphire pendant surrounded by diamonds and more aged silver. Clark immediately looked up as I came down the grand wooden staircase that led up to the next level of the Wulfenheim Manor that I had always called home since I was born.

"You look incredibly beautiful, Astrid." He acknowledged as he kept his eyes glued to mine as I came down the stairs, though he did look me over completely a couple times. He was a man; after all, even if he wasn't human, he was still a man.

"Well thank you, Mr. Kent. You always look handsome, but that's not too hard for you. Women always have to work hard to look beautiful." I joked with him, finally stepping on the floor and then noticing that he'd turned his attention away to the photo wall that I was now standing nearby as I began putting things in my purse.

"There are a lot of photos of you and this Travis fellow. I'm assuming that he was the man you told me about earlier, right?"

"Yes. He was my best friend along with Aural. By the way, you never told me how well she did on trying to entering the Justice League?"

"She made it in with an amazing finish; she went against the AI to battle her worst fear. She wouldn't tell us what it manifested into, but, she said you would definitely know who it was." He said in a slightly somber way. "She said she didn't want to talk about it, but if you wanted to tell me, you could."

"Ah. I know why she did that. It's because it's still a very painful memory for me, and one that I feel ashamed of. She wanted me to tell because she knows it pains me so damn much even though it was about a year ago now. She'd rather I tell it, because she knows I still haven't forgiven myself." I admitted as my voice choked up slightly as I looked down at the floor, fighting back tears with all my strength. Clark placed a hand on my bare shoulder and gently squeezed it, then turned me around and pulled my chin up so I was forced to meet his eyes.

"You don't have to hide your pain from me, Astrid. Though I may be a man of steel that does not mean I cannot show emotion, too. I think Aural is right; you need to talk about it to SOMEONE at least, to help you learn to let it go. Whatever happened, I am sure that you did your best to prevent it. I want you to relax a bit and pull yourself back together before we leave. You don't have to tell me, but I think it would help you if you told someone. I won't think any less of you either way." He justified himself with those words, and I listened to him because I could tell he meant it. I began to relax as he held me close to him to help me calm down. Eventually I did and I was cool, calm, and collected again. I took a deep breath and relaxed.

"You're really a big giant soft ball of fluff inside all of that steel, you know that?" I condemned him with that sentence of being so, and I expected a response back.

"And you're not as tough as you let on to be sometimes, you do have a soft lovable heart in there somewhere. But I promise I won't tell." He chuckled.

"Good. Now that I've sworn you to secrecy, let's go dance."

When we got to the restaurant he took me to, it was in an old historical building. He took me out onto a private balcony to dance and there was a table just for us. I was taken aback by all the detail he'd planned. I hate to admit it, but I felt pretty damn special. That says a lot for someone who hates to gush on anything.

"You certainly know how to pick a place, Mr. Kent." I confirmed as he smiled at me. "But I wonder something...why are we dancing alone? Did you reserve the whole place or something? You didn't have to."

"Well, after hearing that you were going to have to tell what happened to Aural, I wanted us to have somewhere we could talk in private. The music is loud enough that other people won't hear us, but quiet enough for me to talk to you without too much trouble. I sound a bit pushy, don't I? But…I am very curious as to what happened, I'll admit." He admitted, knowing very well that he was pushing the subject, but for some reason, he kept at it. Perhaps it was in hope that his relentless inquiries would eventually get me to fold to them.

"You're a persistent little bugger, aren't you?" I said, chastising him. "If you really must know, then I suppose I have no choice to tell you." I grumbled. "What happened is the simple fact that my family and Selena haven't ever been on good terms, she's stolen things before. Including this." I said, picking up my elegant necklace and holding it up my bare neck. "These have been our family for a long time, because if werewolves were to ever have royalty, we would be it. Our family is the ruling group of alphas over the rest of the werewolf family groups, aside from some past relatives that have denounced our rule and grabbed at their half of the birthright just enough to fight themselves free and form rogue groups, for whatever their personal reasons are. There are many, from wanting to go back to our old, savage ways, to simply not agreeing with a decision that was made and rebelling against that decision. She poisoned our wolves to get these, and we've never forgive her for it since. When I got them back from her, she swore she'd get vengeance on me even though I ended up sparing her life because as you know, she does have kids to take care of." I paused, then swallowed and prepared myself for the next part.

"How does this have to do with Aural?" He asked quizzically.

"I'm getting to that. You see, her vengeance was that she kidnapped Aural and experimented on her, essentially making her have a condition just like ours with slight differences, only as a cat. Luthor helped her with this task, and despite our efforts to stop her from kidnapping her, we failed. Me and another relative of mine attacked her and saved Aural, but we were too late and the experiment and gone through." I said with my voice shaking, full of the emotions of hate and sadness. "That's how Aural became how she is now. I have yet to forgive myself for it, and I still have nightmares of it. It's always weighed heavily on me. At first she was angry at me and my relative for allowing this to happen to her, and more so for never telling her our family secret. It took some time, but she eventually forgave us. As for me, I will never allow myself to forgive such a mistake."

"You shouldn't be so hard on yourself, I agree with Aural on this one. You did your best, and even she's forgiven you and let it go. But because you seem to be the type to take the world on your shoulders like Atlas because you want to and you think you have to, doesn't really mean the world needs you to." He stated simply.

"That's a lot coming from the man that everyone believes does and probably could carry the world on his shoulders if he wanted to." I quipped back with a small bit of sarcasm and a lot of accepting and acknowledgment of his wisdom. "I suppose I am the type that only lets something go when I talk about it. So hopefully I will start to do so now that I have done that after all." I said, letting him lead in the dancing the entire time.

"That's the spirit. By the way, you weren't kidding about how good you can dance, you're like a natural extension of my arm, and you seem to float when you move." He observed.

"Well, aren't you just bursting full of praise tonight?" I laughed at him, and my smile finally came out. "I think you've danced all my energy out of me. Now I'm really hungry." That statement was soon confirmed by the low and deep growl of my stomach.

He looked at me, stunned. "That…WAS THAT…your stomach?" He was staring at me incredulously.

"Yes indeed it was. I have an appetite to match what I am." I said, grinning like a fool.

"Well, I certainly get between it and what it wants. It sounds pretty serious." He pulled out my chair for me and I sat down in it as he scooted it in for me.

"By the way, Wally said he wanted to talk to you tomorrow, so he hopes you don't mind if he comes over. I thought I'd warn you ahead of time, since he can be a little bit of a handful, being the fastest man alive and all. I also want to make sure you're okay with it. He can be slightly…"

"Obnoxious?"

"Yes, I was trying to put it in nicer terms." He admitted.

"I don't mind, he's funny. I could use him hanging around since I'm taking tomorrow off before I take that case I have. Plus, if he wants to get to know me, I'm perfectly fine with that. Also, no worries, Clark, despite the fact that he is pretty charming; he can't out-charm you, thankfully." I teased.

"Good. Because I will be coming in to make sure he behaves after I attend to some things."

"He may be fast, but he is not resistant to the pain of getting slapped, Clark."

"This is true." He agreed. "You might as well get to know some of the others since you'll be working with them quite a bit now."

"I get it, Clark, you want me to make friends with everyone in the sandbox and get out of my little shell. That's so nice of you, looking out for my social well being." I cooed.

"…I can never be serious around you." He grumbled.

"Get used to it, boy-scout." I whispered, smirking as he realized I knew his nickname that Wally usually used around him. "You need to not be so serious all the time. Now, it's my turn to drive home." I said, letting him know I was ready to go.

"Only you would dare to speed around Gotham, because as a lawyer, I bet you could talk yourself out of any ticket." He said sarcastically.

"Watch me." Was my challenge.

"I do not approve of that immoral breaking of the laws of man." He quipped back.

"Fine. Five miles above the speed limit, and only two miles above on the bridge to reach my manor, deal?"

"…I suppose."

"By the way, I hope Dex didn't embarrass you by all his constant joking and the things he was implying with what he said." I knew all the things he was implying with every bit of his teasing, and it had made be pretty uncomfortable, not to mention I'd fought but not completely defeated my reaction which was to blush in front of him, and that's why he kept at it.

"Oh, I gave him a very intimidating glare and made sure he left quicker than he was at the time. I didn't appreciate the implications he was making with you. I can tell you're a very honorable lady, and I'd like to think I'm a honorable man, so I treat you with respect and I expect others to do the same, especially while I'm around. I'm just surprised you didn't fire him and ask him to pack ALL of his things and leave." He certainly had a point, I could have done that, but I had grown slightly attached to Dex pushing a fine line between what was okay to say to his boss and what wasn't okay. He was practically a brother to me, and I'd helped him out a lot when he didn't understand his classes or given him even a little extra money when he ran into financial troubles. He appreciated my help very much and if anything, he usually looked out for me just the same in his own quirky way.

"Well, he's become like family for me. While I do chew him out, and believe me, he'll get chewed out the next day about how if it was anywhere else, he'd likely be fired and have sexual harassment reports or something like that on his records, he is lucky he is considered family by me. Very lucky indeed, especially considering his background. He's an orphan that my family supported and he's even practically lived with us after his boy's home couldn't house him after he turned eighteen. If it wasn't for me being a mentor for him, he wouldn't be doing this well at something he likes." I admitted, knowing that Clark definitely didn't know that side of the story.

"Again, you act like you're tougher than anything out there, but all you really are, is a kind and loving person. You're not a ferocious she-wolf; you're a giant cute cuddly wolf-puppy. You can't fool me." He accused.

"You caught me. Now I have to kill you." I said, my eyes glowing slightly as the night grew darker and the lighting turned on in the balcony.

"Can you at least wait until dessert?" He pleaded.

"I can wait longer than that, Clark. Just as long as you don't tell anyone my deep dark secret." I confirmed, sighing and shaking my head at him.

"Hmmm. I think I can promise that, as long as I get to kiss you good night when I drop you off back at home."

"Deal." I said, offering my hand to shake his. He instead took it and kissed it. A happy shiver went down my spine and I smiled at him. This was the happiest I'd been in a long time, and I was going to enjoy every single second of it.

However, it wouldn't last too long without an interruption. Clark got called away to help the Justice League with something, much to his obvious irritation and displeasure, but he promised to be back in an hour and since it was still a nice lukewarm summer night that was just starting to fade into fall, I was perfectly fine with it. When he left, I got up and looked over the balcony at the city. I was already missing him.

What happened next was one of the weirdest experiences I have ever had in my life; my hairs on the back of my neck and all over began to stand up slightly as I felt a very odd and supernatural presence near me. I hadn't ever felt that before, and it scared me. I stood there, rooted to the spot, unwilling to turn around when my senses were sending a mixed signal set that something WAS right there behind me…but wasn't really at the same time.

A thick Scottish accent that I hadn't heard in one or two years filled my ears for the first time again.

"Astrid…you couldn't forget about your good friend Travis O'Mallhalan, could you?" Said a strange presence that appeared as if he was standing right there alive in the suit he died in without a single mark on him or blood stain, his hair just the way I remembered it that fateful night and his green eyes and dark hair the same shades I remembered. He wasn't glowing or anything, he was just standing there. I turned around slowly, almost in horror that this was a sick joke. I was going to scream bloody murder in horror in three…two….

"Shhhhh." He said, placing a strangely plasmatic feeling finger against my lips that both was there and yet felt like a force of concentrated cold molecules all in one and that partially passed through me when he pressed it too close, a very strange chemical makeup indeed, and not a sensation I'd ever felt before in my life. It was truly…otherworldly. "Look, I'm not alive, but this is the best I could come back to. I'm here for a reason, a reason that you created. Don't scream you're one of the few people that can sense me, if not possibly the only besides your older brother Ansem, King of Werewolves. So no one will understand you and think you're mad unless they can sense me too, somehow. Please, I don't want them to think you're madder than you are." He chuckled, using his famous laugh that instantly eased my mind and helped me relax a bit.

"…What…I…what's happening? What's going on? I MADE you come back as...a spirit, a phantom, and a ghost, whatever you are? Why? How did I DO this?" I said, looking at him with sheer incredulous disbelief. I reached out and I tried to grab at his form, my mind being a fool and hoping like hell that I could actually touch him and that he wouldn't suddenly disappear as a depressing illusion. I began to cry as I touched the strange plasma-based-chilled-molecules that he was made up of, going through it with a moderate amount of resistance. Travis placed both of his hands on my face and attempted his best to try to wipe away my tears, even though he couldn't yet figure out how to not keep going through me. I felt frozen inside, my nerves were slowly freezing and then defrosting, and the emotions in my heart, mind, and body were lit with fuses that wanted to explode.

"Look, I know that you swore upon my grave to avenge my death and that you blamed yourself. I can't have you do that, but what I can let you know is that my killer will soon come around to targeting you next, and I have promised to protect you since we were little, had I not? So I've come back for the sole purpose of protecting you and helping you find this killer. Who he or she is, has gone past my mind, it was too quick and I don't have access to my brain, really, so I can't remember too much, but I can remember enough to know that I'm supposed to help you the best I can and protect you. The very fact that I can come back…feels amazing." He acknowledged and confessed, looking me straight in the eyes. "I know it's harder than hell for you….but…I couldn't say no to such a chance. Only when you bring my killer to proper justice, I will leave and rest in peace and watch you up there in the heavens. For now, I won't leave your side until I help you, though I won't always be completely present. I know you like your privacy. DON'T tell anyone about this. Anyone. Not even Aural, or this man that's in your life…no one. Not unless someone legitimately senses me and forces me to appear, and that may never happen. You have to promise me this. Please…promise me." He babbled on in his thick Scottish accent, because that was where he was born and where he spent most of his life when he wasn't living near me in his family's second home.

It took a lot out of me, but I began to bridle and reign in the shitstorm that were my emotions, memories, and the sheer fact that I was trying to absorb everything. I began to calm my breathing and relax myself.

"Promise me, Astra. Please…" He said, his voice growing tenderly soft, and I knew I couldn't say anything but what he wanted as he melted my heart with that, like he always knew he could.

"I promise. Upon my own honor, I will do as you request."

"Thank you. I promise not to be too nosey, you do have that boyfriend, BUT, he better treat you to my standards, or I may have to give him as much hell as I can in this form. Have you told Ansem?" He looked at me with glaring eyes, forcing me to tell the truth with the look he gave me.

"…No. Not yet."

"Keep it that way; he'll go bonkers if he finds out. He'll separate you two and never let anything come of it. You know how overboard he can get with his protective nature. You're all he's got left…" With the last statement, he faltered. I caught it immediately even though Travis tried to hide it well, it was too late; I could read his face too well.

"What do you mean!? Do I have any siblings I'm not aware of?"

"Oh look, that flying boyfriend of yours is back. Gotta hide." He said, disappearing in a way that was equivalent of a picture fading out of sight.

"GET BACK HERE!" I hissed in a low voice, but there was no response.

"I'm coming, sorry, I know you probably missed me a lot and if you're not a bit angry at me, I'd be surprised." Responded Clark as he simply alighted down where no one could see, back in his nice suit.

"Oh…yeah, I was getting a little impatient. Desert is getting cold." I said while smiling at him like nothing was wrong.

"We certainly can't let that happen." He confirmed with a smile before pulling out and then pushing back in my chair for me and then sitting down again. The only good thing about this is that I am good about hiding what's going on underneath my face very well. Inside, I actually had more questions now than Travis had ever answered by showing up here.


	6. 6: Wickedness and Snares of the Joker

The Tale of Nemesis: In The Beginning…

Part VI: The Wickedness and Snares of the Joker.

I was out patrolling Gotham, dressed in my now familiar garb as a super hero, though it still felt a tad ridiculous. Little did I know that this was about to be my first night where I would get a real taste of what it was like to actually come face to face with the full malice of a villain. I was trying to be careful where I went, cruising around on my bike. Suddenly I stopped, hearing a faint, yet slightly familiar maniacal laughter, and I stopped dead in my tracks, turning off my bike and trying to strain my still decently good amount of super-hearing to find the source. But….oddly enough, it sounded like it was happening all around me. It made me twitch with paranoia, and my eyes strained to see in the darkness.

Suddenly, about three canisters of laughing gas were thrown out of the alleys around me and I tried to jump back, pulling up a mask over my face and knowing instantly who I was dealing with at this very moment. The Joker had decided to come out and face me. But, that was not the only surprise I was about to find out.

There was a maddened laugh, and then a howl, and my eyes widened, because a huge gray wolf came out and completely tackled me, his eyes a maddened red and it was obvious by the modifications to his skull that he was being mind controlled by someone, or he'd been forced into being driven absolutely mad. He was part wolf, part plated in a complex machine that made him look absolutely cyborg-like and madder than a mad hatter. I tried to fight him off of me, finally striking him straight in the snout, getting him off of me partially, and then kicking him against a wall.

Then, and only then, when he spoke, my mind flashed back to someone that I was always told was in private school somewhere distant from Gotham, why I was never told, but I had always suspected it had to do with the scars that I grew up having since I was little, scars that oddly didn't heal. I gasped, my brain pulling free the long-repressed memories of a night where a brother I had forgotten the existence of ever since that night when that terrible accident had happened. I stood there, bewildered and stunned, not paying attention to what was going on.

"…Oh, so the little pup has grown, has she? Yet she doesn't remember me…" he said in between insane laughter, then he grabbed me and picked me up in his massive male werewolf form that was half machine, obviously he had been experimented on, and he looked quite evil with the new additions, and he was not in his right mind. "Do you remember me, now? Now that I'm talking to you, my dear little Astrid…..?" He growled menacingly and dug his claws into my shoulder blades as he held me off the ground, the other clawed hand grasped tightly around my neck.

"…Heinrich…what on earth happened to you?!" I gasped out, eyes glazed over as the slice from his mechanical side of his body, for now I noticed he was half and half, stabbed in poisoned blades into my body that immediately began paralyzing my body. I couldn't even defend myself anymore, and there was no way in hell that I wasn't going to be captured now. My only hope was my communication feed, and it was going nuts right now, but I couldn't respond. I was paralyzed, you know.

"Astrid! Hey, Astra, you okay? Astrid, talk to me, you seem to be in trouble. Need help Astrid?" Said the familiar voice of the Flash, sounding pretty damn worried about me from the voices and sounds that were coming from my communication link.

"Oh, she'll be fine." Said the hyena-like-voice of my long lost brother that until now, had been hidden in some dusty cobwebbed part of my brain because of the events that happened that caused his departure. He then roared into the link, then laughed at it and smashed it on the ground with uncontainable amusement. "I'd like to see you find her now…" he said, as my consciousness began to fade out into blackness.

The two-faced wolf bounded through the laughing gas, which made him react even more insanely than before, towards a suited figure not far off that was waiting for him with a large bone in hand.

"Good boy, Fido! Good job retrieving what I sent you to go after! I hope she wasn't too shocked by your change in appearance, we do have Luthor to thank for that, you know, since we caught you coming back to this city so early and what not, just in time to change you into such a deadly little pooch at that! Now, we'll see if we can't torture her and teach her to trifle with the likes of the villains that are around here. You know, I really do think more people shouldn't underestimate us, especially if they're such a pathetic beginner like she is. Come now, let's go hang her above a nasty unstable chemical vat, shall we!?" He said, getting in a truck of which my long-lost-brother, now an experiment gone wrong, jumped into the back of with me. The triumphant laugh of the Joker rang through the streets, and though the Justice League received the distress beacon from the destroyed communications link, it was long after the trail had gone slightly cold.

What had I really gotten myself into this time? I guess this was going to be my first true superhero test, my first really battle, the first time I really tangled with a villain. It was a test I was willing to endure, but not under the circumstance that they had completely destroyed something that was sacred to me twice; family. First my parents, now my brother were completely and disrespectfully taken from me. You can bet that I was not on the edge anymore; I was going to snap when I came to, and whatever hell I brought, they better hope they were prepared for it. Because fool me once, shame on me, mess with my family twice, is a one way ticket to the depths of hell.

That and I really didn't appreciate them taking a cheap shot and knocking me out. I'd rather have them fight me like men than knock me out to torture me like sissies. SISSIES, I tell you. Plus, did they really count on the members of Justice League not being able to find me? That's just ridiculous. Of course, I could be underestimating them. Which is likely.

_"Don't go outside, Astra."_

_ "Why mommy? Why? There are fireflies out! They are the best part of July!"_

_ "Don't, sweetie, your brothers and father are out there doing something very important. You might get hurt…"_

_ "But mommy, I want to catch the fire flies! Plus, daddy and my brothers wouldn't hurt me! I'M going outside!" I ran towards the door knob and I pulled it, found it locked, and quickly worked the lock with my little fingers and bounded outside._

"_ASTRID! NO! COME BACK! YOU COULD GET YOURSELF KILLED!"My mom ran after me, but it was too late, a gray furry mass rapidly moved towards me and tackled me in my little white summer dress, blood dripping from his claws, until he immediately realized what he had done and he backed up. Then two more black-large-furry-forms bounded up and pinned him to the ground._

_I was screaming in pain, a little ball of torn up white fabric, blonde hair, and blood. My mom picked me up and hugged me to her now fully transformed furry body and growled at my brother._

"_I tried to keep her inside, but she got out regardless. Who taught her to work the locks!?" My mom bellowed angrily._

"_I think she figured them out herself." Said my father, looking at me with concern. "She was always too smart for her own good, even at the age of twelve." _

"_Father…" protested Heinrich from where he was being held down, because today was his birthday, his sixteenth to be exact, when werewolves matured enough to transform for the first time. He was a rare summer-born werewolf, whereas most were born in the colder months since we were more likely to breed then, and females went into a human-hybrid-wolf-version of "going into heat" during December. Heinrich, however, couldn't contain himself at first transformation, and had no intention of hurting me, it was just that his instincts were stronger at this time than when he was more like a rational man in wolves' skin any other time he transformed. It was a horrible accident, one that scared him so much, he'd been knocked into his rational state again by the sheer horror of it._

"_Yes, son?"  
>"I can't stand to be by Astrid now that I've hurt her, I can't be here. I want to be sent somewhere else, this is too much for me to bare. Send me away, please. I won't come back until I've grown up and she has, too. I want her to forget this, and meet me again when she can handle it properly and forgive me." He pleaded, tears coming down his eyes, because werewolf or not, he could still feel emotions.<em>

"_Is that what you truly want, my son?"_

"_I refuse to have it any other way!" He sobbed. _

"…_I see. I can't change your mind." _

My memory faded out and I became conscious again, the effect of the paralysis poison wearing off on me, and indeed, just as promised, I was chained and hanging over a vat of very unstable and questionable chemicals, I was a bit beat up but healing, blood crusted my lower lip as if I'd been struck there and I had received a pretty bad bloody lip, and I think I had a black eye, because one of my eyes just really hurt. I was healing, but I sure didn't feel good right now. Oh boy, and here comes that bat-shit-crazy Joker. Fun, fun, just what I wanted to wake up to…

"Are you ready to be boiled and fried to death until you can't recover anymore, you stupid little mutt?" He said, smiling happily at me. "It also looks like you gave us some trouble since we had to sedate you again when you transformed, but no matter, you've been kicked into submission and you can only hope that your precious little League can come and save you in time. We'll have to see! I haven't ever deep fried a werewolf before, so this is indeed a new recipe to try!" Was his malicious, cackling response to me being awake at last. Good morning to you too, you crazy-ass-mother-fucker. Well, looks like this was going to be my first time playing the damsel in distress. I hated being the damsel in distress already. Any tomboy would hate that if they really were so, and I despised it. Please, Clark, Bruce, Wally, Aural…..anyone, come save my ass before I suffer the same fate as my parents, or so help me, I'll save my own ass if I have to. That is, if I can figure out a way to do that.


End file.
